Category: train

Capital Metro would like to thank all of the patient MetroRail riders who planned their commutes around the disruption in service on Oct. 31 due to heavy flooding. It was a doozy, but our incredible rail operations team was able to work throughout the night, inspecting and repairing all of the sections of track affected to ensure they’d be safe to travel the next day.

Check out some pictures below of the impact and check out this video from local TV station, KXAN, who went on-site to check on our repairs. See it for yourself!

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts…”

The summer, the Haul Pass, a new fare card for youth 18 and under, gives teens (and kids) unlimited bus and rail rides all summer long, plus discounts at Go Local partner businesses.

Austin is the stage. The Haul Pass is your ticket. What role will you play?

The Professional

Heads to a summer job, an internship, or volunteer work.

Checks the trip planner on the computer the night before work to plan the day. Always arrives 5 to 10 minutes before the scheduled departure.

Scans the QR code on the bus stop or texts the cross-streets or Stop ID to Dadnab (512-981-6221) to find out the next departure time

Keeps on budget, uses GoLocal discounts for food and well earned entertainment after a hard day at work.

The Scholar

Uses the time spent commuting by bus or train to read books and periodicals, for summer reading lists and summer courses, from the Austin Public Library and BookPeople (using Go Local discount, off course).

System map in a pocket, Go-Line memorized (512-474-1200), knows this travel training will pay off in future adult life, filled with visits to other major cities around the US, a study abroad college semester, and who knows, maybe a win on Amazing Race (or at least a local scavenger hunt like Challenge Nation).

The Artist

Carries a journal or sketchbook, a great pen, a digital camera (or cell phone).

Gets friends to carpool to a Park and Ride, then journey together via Capital Metro to Barton Springs, parks and recreation centers, the mall, the movies, etc.

Supports local businesses, checking Go Local for businesses near destinations.

Convinces a parent into to try riding transit to work for a day, and consider joining a vanpool for commute. Or takes a family outing using the bus or train, like a ride across town for lunch with a grandparent, aunt or uncle.

Capital Metro has partnered with other transit agencies in the central Texas region, like the City of Austin, CAMPO and the Lone Star Rail District to create a plan for regional high-capacity transit.

What would that look like?

Imagine a series of components like urban rail, commuter rail (like MetroRail), Rapid service, and express lanes where all services support one another in a network, easing access throughout the region.

Sounds nice, right? Well, it looks even better. Check out this detailed vision map with all the system elements to help you share our vision for how to create a connected central Texas.

For those of you who follow our Twitter activity (or may want to), you may have noticed our recent change of account names.

In the past, we have communicated to followers using two separate Twitter accounts: CapMetroNews and CapMetroRail. Having two accounts made sense leading up to the opening of MetroRail, but now it’s just sort of confusing. People tweet us with rail-related inquiries at CapMetroNews and with bus issues at CapMetroRail. Plus, having two accounts sometimes contributes to a delay in us responding.

Going into our new fiscal year in October 1, we wanted to use that date as a benchmark for turning over a new leaf in our Communications efforts — including Twitter.

Going into the future, we have changed the name of our CapMetroRail account to @CapMetroATX. This will be our one and only account where we’ll provide bus and rail service updates as well as relevant news and rider tips. Over the next two weeks we’ll phase-out our CapMetroNews account.

We know by following one sole account, you may get more info than before. So, how can you filter the info you get notifications about, if you want?

By using certain apps, you can make settings to only get notified of certain hashtags, versus receiving all our Tweets.

We’ll be operating via these hashtags:

#MetroRailAlert: for specific delay alerts on MetroRail

#MetroBusAlert: for all bus-related service alerts

So, for example, if you began following our rail account and only wish to continue receiving rail-related messages, set-up your account to send only messages including the #MetroRailAlert hashtag.

How to set specific alerts up? This useful YouTube video helps you use TweetDeck for setting-up hashtag notifications:

Austin Mobility featured an article in their newsletter yesterday, describing the ongoing development in the east 5th area — around our MetroRail Plaza Saltillo Station. Check out the Austin Mobility to learn more about local Transit Oriented Development at: http://ow.ly/ealZv or read on:

In addition to the private development, Capital Metro is making progress on about 10 acres it hopes to develop under future private-public relationships.

An environmental assessment of the land is close to being completed.

An upcoming report, by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Environmental Protection Agency, will give planners an understanding of what remediation would need to occur to develop the land.

In addition, Capital Metro expects to begin design and engineering later this year to relocate rail along Fourth Street, which will free up land for mixed-use development.

That $5.4 million track project is funded 80 percent by federal funds, with a 20 percent match from Capital Metro.

In celebration of Capital Metro’s ridership increase over the past year, we will be partnering with Randolph Brooks Credit Union, Black Star Co-op and Midtown Commons in hosting our “You’re One in a Million” rider appreciation party on Aug. 10.

From October 2011 to June 2012, Capital Metro saw ridership increase by over one million trips from the previous time frame a year ago. Bus ridership increased by 3.9 percent, or roughly 898,000 trips and MetroRail ridership grew by over 49 percent, or roughly 133,000 trips. Total ridership is on pace to exceed 33 million passenger trips in 2012, with a projected increase to 34 million in 2013. The increase in ridership is the direct result of streamlining and improving connectivity of routes throughout Capital Metro’s 522 square-mile service area, and also the dedication of area residents and visitors in choosing public transit.

All transit riders are invited on Friday! To thank passengers for riding, Capital Metro will hold customer celebration events at several MetroRail stations on August 10.

Early morning commuters at the Downtown, Howard, Lakeline and Leander stations will be treated to fresh donuts, hot coffee and “You’re One in a Million” buttons, courtesy of Randolph Brooks Credit Union.

Crestview Station will become party central from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with balloons, banners and a rousing welcome from local band Conjunto Los Pinkys and Friends as each train pulls in. Through a Capital Metro partnership with Black Star Co-op at Midtown Commons, all transit riders who present a valid Capital Metro pass or ticket will also receive $1.50 off any house beer. In addition to the fun atmosphere, various lucky passengers will be selected at random from arriving trains and buses to win 7-Day Capital Metro passes. Crestview Station is located at 6920 North Lamar Boulevard in Austin.

“This event is to show how much we appreciate our riders,” said Capital Metro President and CEO Linda S. Watson. “At Capital Metro we strive to provide dependable, beneficial transit options for the community; we will continue to build on our ridership success into the future as we look at more ways of extending transit throughout the region.”

Crestview Station symbolizes a central hub of transit within Capital Metro’s service area where MetroRail and our busiest bus routes combine; in the future it also will be a location on MetroRapid Lamar route.

Riders are strongly encouraged to ride transit to the event, since there will be no parking available at Midtown Commons. MetroRail riders can get off at the Crestview Station and bus riders can take routes 1L/1M, 101 to the celebration. Use our Trip Planner to get step-by-step directions for using Capital Metro routes.

You love your effortless, on-time ride with MetroRail, but we know you have another sweet ride of the two-wheel variety. Now we want to show your bike some love, too, with our new MetroBike Shelter at Kramer Station opening August 6, 2012.

MetroBike Cards will be available for purchase online only beginning today. Sale of MetroBike Cards will initially be limited to the first 50 customers. Register and purchase at: www.capmetro.org/metrobike/

At Kramer Station, cyclists getting on/off the train will be able to pick-up/leave their bike at the destination stop in a secure sheltered area to ride to/from the train. The new service will provide a safe, convenient choice for some cyclists that will reduce crowding on the trains.

Security is enhanced by a fully-enclosed, double wire mesh shelter, allowing for full visibility of its contents, with member-only entry requiring a MetroBike card. This is combined with the use of your personal lock that secures your bike onto a standard inverted-U rack located inside the shelter. Learn more and purchase.

MetroBike Shelter is at your service when:

You don’t feel like standing with your bike on the train.

You need more space (one person with a bike takes the space of four people standing).

You know it’s going to be too packed to board with your bike.

You don’t want to leave your bike out in the rain.

You just don’t feel like lugging your two-wheeled baby all the way home.

MetroBike Shelter features include:

Secured, limited card key access using a MetroBike Card.

Fully enclosed bike parking for up to 24 bikes.

24-hour access, lighting, camera surveillance.

Sitting area for changing shoes, etc.

Repair rack for minor bike repairs.

Double wire, fully enclosed cage with a metal roof.

The MetroBike card is a coded plastic card, available ONLINE ONLY with registration at a discounted, limited-time-only introductory pricing of $30/year.

This is a new service. More MetroBike shelters are planned for 2013-14, and the MetroBike card will provide entry to all shelters as they open.